Tuesday, August 19, 2008

it's been a rough week or so...

and I'm sorry I haven't posted. But it really has been rough. So I went in and had my glucose screen done. No problem, easy as pie, nothing that I should have been worrying about. that is, until I got a call from my doctor the next morning...

I failed.

Yep. I got a big fat F. So, then the nurse tells me over the phone that now I have to take the three hour glucose screen. No problem, right? Hmmm. yeah, except that I had to go on a special diet for friday, Saturday, and Sunday. AND I couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight on Sunday (including water). GREAT!! So then I go to the doctors office to pick up my lab sheet for monday and a copy of the diet for the weekend. It was as follows...

Thats it. No Snacks, no nothing. For a normal person, this might have just been a little aggrivating and inconvenient. But for me, and 7 months pregnant, this was miserable!!! I was hungry for 3 days straight. And I have one thing to say about the veggies...It is absolutely amazing that 1/2 cup of broccoli is A LOT of broccoli, but 1/2 cup of potatoes is NOTHING!!

SO....I did really well all weekend and didn't even cheat a single time. I was so proud of myself!I got up Monday and went to work to take care of a few things for about an hour and I got to the lab only 1/2 an hour after they opened. And I waited. For an hour. After having had nothing to eat or drink since about 930 the night before when I went to bed. By the time they called my name, my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth I was so dry! Well, they drew my fasting blood and bruised me pretty good casue she couldn't find a vein since I was so dry. Then they gave me the drink...Hmmm. yeah. No one ever tells you that the drink is even sweeter the second time! It was twice as sweet! So sweet in fact, it wasn't really totally liquid. It was kinda like orange flavored corn syrup. I got about 1/2 of it down before I started feeling like I was fixing to pass out. Fortunately, thanks to growing up with a nurse for a mom and a sister who has been known to get lightheaded from time to time, I knew how to deal with it. I put my head between my knees until it passed and then tried to finish the stupid drink before 5 minutes was up. (yes, they time you while you drink it. Did I not mention that? 5 min to down 10 oz. of orange corn syrup) I finished drinking it and gave the bottle back to the lab tech as proof and then one hour, two hours, and 3 hours after that my blood was redrawn to recheck my blood sugar. 4 needle sticks in 3 hours, 4 vials of blood drawn and nothing to eat or drink but the gross orange goo. I finished it all with no problem and spent the rest of the day hanging out with Mom. Then today I get a phone call at work...My lab results are back....

I Failed. Again.

I've failed tests before back when I was in school, but I dont think any of them upset me quite as badly as this one did. That stung a good bit. So now...I have gestational diabetes. I am now being referred to a specialist at the diabetic center in the hospital. They are apparently going to put me on a special diet and I have to monitor my blood sugar. I know theres nothing I could have done to prevent it, but I still feel like it is somehow my fault. I think I'm just kinda freaked out that that combined with my thyroid now makes me a high risk pregnancy. Not really happy about that. I'll do my best to keep ya'll posted but my laptop is misbehaving really badly (hence no pictures) so I'm having to use Mark's computer when I can kick him off of it for long enough.

4 comments:

Ashley, I am so sorry. Just know deep down that there was nothing you could have done. I wish there was some advice I could give you for this. It's completely out of my realm. I was high risk on a different level. Be careful and keep me posted.

Okay, Appey. You heard me say it out loud and now you'll have it in writing to look back on. This is just one of those things that happen and you had absolutely no way to see it coming. We'll (and I emphasize WE) do everything we can to get Ashley Marie here in a healthy state. And keep you in good shape in the mean time. There's not really that much time left so WE can do this. You know every one of us is here to help you in any.....any....way we can.

='( I sorry, Atty. I know a little about the fear and uneasiness you're feeling, but I don't pretend to know exactly what it's like. Please do remember you didn't do anything to make this happen - it happens to lots of women - and that you're in good hands. Dr. G. and everyone's on your team to keep you and the little one healthy, and though it might be hard in the meantime, remember that this is the first part of a lifetime of doing all you can for your child. You can handle this. We're all here to help and for you to vent to. Let me know if I can do ANYTHING.

oh ashley, im so sorry. i had to go take the 3 hour, nasty orange cough syrup test and i completely understand what your are going through. i didnt end up getting g.d. but they were still watching my weight and everything closely since we knew he would be a BIG baby-which he was. i hope everything else in your pregnancy is going well and you just have to remember that when all this is over, you will have a beautiful little baby and all this work is well worth it. call or text me soon, i would love to see yall. 706 877 1261